


Exhale

by Barnesies



Series: Barnesies' Thorki Works [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fix-It, Inspired by Fanfiction, M/M, Multi, Stormbreaker - Freeform, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27590584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnesies/pseuds/Barnesies
Summary: What if good old Loki joined the party?Inspired by Stormbreaker by Ladylapislazuli(Edit: THIS WORK WILL BE DELETED SOON FOR REWRITING!!)
Relationships: Loki/Thor (Marvel)
Series: Barnesies' Thorki Works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089491
Comments: 56
Kudos: 227





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Stormbreaker](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15814020) by [ladylapislazuli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladylapislazuli/pseuds/ladylapislazuli). 



> This fanfiction is inspired by 'Stormbreaker' by Ladylapislazuli, who kindly granted me permission to write and publish this work. That being said, I do not pretend to be as good as a writer as her. I'm still working on my english writing skills.
> 
> I highly recommend you read the original story - at least until chapter 12 - to better understand 'Exhale' and its context.
> 
> Btw, I'm french and I don't have a beta.
> 
> Title inspired by Sabrina Carpenter's song.
> 
> Edit : JOIN US ON REDDIT at [r/ThorkiFics](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThorkiFics/)!!

Loki falls and falls and falls for what feels like a small eternity.

And then suddenly, he crashes.

Loki pants for breath, still feeling the ghost of Thanos fingers around his neck, and is surprised when a familiar scent assaults his nose amongst other things. He doesn’t get to dwell on it as whomever-he-landed-on aggressively tackles him to the ground and there is yet another threatening hand on his throat. 

Can’t a god catch a break?

However when the dancing dark spots finally disappear from his sight, Loki’s gaze focuses on none other than Thor’s face. His Thor, still short-haired from his misadventure on Sakaar also his missing eye has now been replaced by an artificial sham that does no justice to the original thing. And he looks utterly broken.

Thor’s hand moves from Loki’s throat to his chest, stopping right over where his heart lies, as Loki coughs slightly. 

Isn’t it lovely?

“Hello, Br -”, Loki starts, voice strain, before Thor promptly interrupts him by placing his palm on his mouth, effectively shutting him up and almost causing him to suffocate, again.

Really?

Loki raises a brow and his eyes betray his annoyance. More surprisingly, he can’t tell what Thor is thinking as too many emotions fight to express themselves on his brother’s face, but Loki does follow his cue when his mismatched eyes look almost imperceptibly to the side… to catch sight of a younger version of the god.

Oh great, now there are two of them.

“You’re alive.”, Thor says finally, sounding breathless.

“Am I? Oh well, you should be used to it by now.”, Loki replies, once his brother takes his hand off of his mouth.

Thor gets up and drags Loki along with him. He barely has time to find his balance before he is being squashed against Thor’s broad chest and squeezed by his stupidly muscular arms to the point he can’t move.

“You’re alive.”, Thor repeats and Loki rolls his eyes.

“Yes. I believe we have established that much.”

“I love you.”, Thor adds and… 

Is he crying?

Loki frowns in falsely worried and ever so slightly mocking manner. 

It has to be a joke, right? A show of sorts for their growing audience? Sure, Loki tried - and failed - to stop Thanos but it can’t be worth such a display of affection?

One of Thor’s hands moves to his hair and Loki bristles, before pushing his brother away. He purposely ignores the fact he only succeeds because Thor allows it. He keeps an arm around Loki’s middle though.

“Stormbreaker?”, young Thor calls and only then does Loki let his gaze wander on their surroundings.

They are in the middle of the training grounds. In Asgard. A baby version of his brother is standing a few feet away, Mjolnir in hand, as well as a very alive version of their - of Frigga. 

Loki’s lips part slightly at the sight of her, grief and guilt overcoming every other emotion in him.

Then the royal guards arrive and form a perfect circle around them. Don’t they know who they are threatening? The answer is easy to guess and also terribly annoying.

“I’m not doing get help.”, Loki tells Thor and to his surprise, his brother throws his head back and starts laughing like a mad man.

“I love you.”, Thor repeats as he brings Loki closer to him and presses a kiss to his temple.

Loki studies him suspiciously.

“What happened to you after I died? This is the most you have ever told me you loved me in our hundreds of shared years of existence.”

Thor doesn’t get to answer as Frigga crosses the distance between them and stops next to young Thor… a young Loki alongside her. It is quite strange to face his younger self, even more so when said counterpart looks so utterly angry at his older self for whatever reason.

“Introduce yourself.”, Frigga orders and Loki blinks.

Does she not recognize him? Has he become such a monster she -

“Pardon us, Your Highness.”, Thor says, bringing Loki back to the moment at hand. “This is… Hel. My lifelong companion and… husband.”

Loki’s gaze snaps back to Thor, finding him already looking. Is this an elaborate joke? Because it is probably the least humorous one his brother has ever thought of. However, Thor’s eyes tell him a different story : this is important and he needs Loki to play along.

“I thought him lost during the battle that brought me here, my queen.”, Thor adds while his gaze never leaves Loki as if afraid he may vanish, which is… more likely than pretty much everything else that has happened so far.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first you people have blown my mind, like kzjbcbfnzcbjsdb! 
> 
> I wasn't expecting such a great response to this work and I can't thank you enough for reading, kudos, comments, bookmarks and subscriptions!
> 
> Edit 12/06 : Should be back next week!
> 
> Anyway, thanks again and I hope you enjoy!

Loki kneels in front of Odin.

His bowed head makes it appear as if he is awaiting some kind of punishment. Perhaps even a death sentence. For what feels like the first time in centuries, Loki doesn’t have a bigger plan as he listens to his adoptive father. He nods along Odin’s monologue and apologizes for the troubles his unplanned apparition has caused.

He is home and his family doesn’t hate him. Also it is heartbreaking to see no recognition in their eyes, it is not quite as bad as other emotions he has seen there following his betrayal.

Thor - Stormbreaker - is the only reason Loki isn’t thrown into a cell. Despite being stripped of his name and titles, his brother seems to have built a reputation for himself and charmed more than one member of the royal family.

Some things never change.

When Loki exits the throne room as a free citizen, he catches sight of Thor’s younger counterpart lurking around. He ignores him and silently follows the servant guiding him to Stormbreaker’s room, a small smile playing on his lips as the younger god walks behind them in a failed attempt at subtility.

Loki thanks the servant as they reach their destination and finally looks straight into young Thor’s eyes right before the door opens and his Thor drags him inside of his living quarter with one arm around his lower back. He sees the younger god blink in surprise and then look slightly dejected at Stormbreaker’s display of affection.

Another clue that is yet to make sense.

Moreover, Loki expects whatever charade Thor is playing to end at the second the door closes behind them. Instead, Thor starts undressing.

Loki tenses almost imperceptibly. 

“Hel, my beloved, I wish to take you to our bed.”, his stupid brother says, his hands finding Loki’s leather tunic laces on his right side, awakening the trickster’s anger. He grips one of the blond’s wrist and Thor stops briefly. 

“I will explain later, now I will see you naked and I alone.”

Heimdall. They are hiding from the all-seeing protector of the Bifröst.

Loki waves his hand and their clothes vanish. He does his best to keep his gaze leveled on Thor’s but newly formed scars on his brother’s chest grab his attention. The sorcerer applies his palm on one of them, intending to make it disappear, but Thor grips it in his and shakes his head. Loki frowns slightly at the sight of the melancholy in the blond’s eyes.

They walk to the bed in silence, still connected by Loki’s hand on Thor’s chest and the other god’s hand at his side. A moment later, Loki lies on his back, looking up at Thor’s and if his hands explore the offered naked skin, it is merely for appearance sakes. 

He cannot remember having experienced such vulnerability.

Thor hovers over Loki in a plank position as he whispers his story to his brother’s ear. From Loki’s death to his failed attempt at killing Thanos and his life here in the Past. He tells him how he almost killed his infuriating younger self and how he accidentally courted Loki’s counterpart. 

The trickster tenses at that last awkward admission but tries to play it off :

“Why were you spending so much time with him anyway?”, he mutters against Thor’s skin.

Loki has never known his brother to be shy and yet he feels - more than he sees - him hide his face under his jaw.

“I missed you.”, Thor says. “And I wanted to do better, be better for you.”

Loki’s fingers claws at Thor’s back on their own volition. He has always known on some level : his brother feels guilt over everything that has transpired between them, over being his infuriating and self-centered younger self, over missing Loki’s pain all those years.

It explains why Loki’s younger counterpart showed so much animosity towards Stormbreaker’s husband. Loki can at least admit to himself he loves Thor also he does hate him sometimes, still. He can only imagine how being the center of the fallen king’s attention must have felt.

Unbelievable and yet utterly addictive. 

Loki recognizes the sly feeling of jealousy as it twists his guts, as he marks Thor’s back and again as his lips close over the sensitive skin of his neck. The other god shudders minutely but doesn’t protest. When Loki finally lets go, he can’t help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction at the sight of his work, as it makes it very clear that Thor doesn’t belong to his younger self.

“Alright, move.”, Loki says.

Thor sighs and lets his body fall next to Loki on the mattress. It is horrifyingly snuggly.

“We need a bigger bed.”, the trickster states.

“We don’t.”

“Do. You’re the worst bed partner I have ever had.”, Loki says and it doesn’t matter Thor is also the only one. “You snore and when you don’t you either hog the covers or worse, cling to me.”

“We’re married.”

“Mo - Your parents have their own separate rooms!”

“They live in a palace!”

“And where do you think we are exactly?”

Thor laughs and Loki rolls his eyes. He will find a way to get what he wants as always and if he lets Thor put an arm around him as he keeps hiccuping into his pillow, it’s nobody business but his own.

* * *

“So?”, Sif asks as young Thor joins her and their friends.

“It’s bad.”, he sighs looking more defeated than his companions have ever seen him. 

“As in -?”, Fandral says when Thor doesn’t elaborate immediately, seemingly lost in thought.

“As in they are having sex right as we speak.”, the prince answers, getting a slightly shocked look from Hogun and a deep sigh from Sif. Thor frowns before he adds : “I do not know what to do.”

“Nothing? They are married.”, Fandral replies and Sif glares at him. “What? I’m just saying if they love each other, there is nothing we can do.”

“He is a sorcerer too, right?”, Sif asks Thor, ignoring their friend's pessimism.

“Yes.”, the prince says. “And he is pretty too.”

His friends blink as one before exchanging slightly stunned looks.

“He looks like Loki.”, Volstagg says gruffly. “A few hundreds of years older but still. They could be related.”

“Looks like Stormbreaker has a type.”, Fandral agrees while Thor keeps frowning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna make up a tag : #Heimdallmadethemdoit!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it has been a while. I hope you are all doing great and I wish you a **happy new year**!
> 
> Also, I believe congratulations are in order as **Thorki was the 9th most popular relationship tag on AO3 in 2020!** We did better than Stucky, how? What? **Edit:** So apparently, we aren't. It was a bug because AO3 suppressed a Thorki ship tag and all fics (older ones included) added themselves to Loki/Thor (Marvel). Meh. I say it's good motivation and we make the TOP 100 in 2021?
> 
> As you can see: **I'm not abandoning this story.** I'm not planning to. But I have a... problem, which is I had a plan for this and I don't anymore, so I'm basically writing in the dark and it's not my kind of writing, I'm a plantser, sometimes even a plotter. Plus, every time I re-read Stormbreaker for inspiration, a new plotbunny is born and that cannot be. So yeah, Future Me needs to fix that.
> 
> On another hand, I'm also working on another Thorki WIP : [Fool & Thief](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28113555/chapters/68882760), as well as that [thing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28263279) and I have recently created **a subreddit dedicated to Thorki Fanfictions,[r/ThorkiFics](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThorkiFics/), where you can already join me to chat and share your fics!**
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll still enjoy this little update until I get my sh-things together. Uhuh.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who read, kudos, favorite and even comment on this fic! It makes my day every single time!
> 
> Ah and yes, I shifted from present tense to past because I find it easier, idek. I did this after my surgery and just rolled with it when I came back to this chapter after the holidays.

Thor stared. 

Loki ignored him. 

They - somehow - slept through the afternoon, evening and night, curled up together in Thor’s small bed. And while Loki knew why he was so utterly exhausted, having overused his seidr, he was surprised to find the thunder god still asleep when he awoke.

By the time, Thor opened his eyes, Loki had a new plan.

And a new haircut. 

He couldn't possibly walk around looking like a mirror image of his younger counterpart also his hair was now curlier... and blond. 

Altering his appearance was nothing new. He could have turned himself into an entirely different aesir but too many people had already seen him. 

It pained him to resort to such a ridiculous disguise but he had little choice.

“Get over it.”, Loki muttered as he threw clothes to Thor’s face.

Surprisingly enough, his fake husband did as he was told and silently got ready. 

They walked together to the dining hall and Loki couldn’t help but feel nonplussed as the good people of Asgard paid them no mind. They kept conversing as they broke their fast. Oblivious.

Here, they were no princes, Loki thought as he caught Thor’s gaze on him. He was smiling, a little thing both hopeful and encouraging.

He knew.

Loki nodded and followed Thor towards the buffet, where he found himself hesitating in front of a bunch of golden pears from Frigga’s garden. His favorite since childhood. Another thing he never thought he could have again.

Thor broke his reverie by picking up two pears and putting one on Loki’s plate. His elder looked soft. Softer than he had ever seen him. And so was the hand he used to guide Loki to their table.

It was mostly occupied by older warriors. A few of them threw curious glances in their direction while one of them, he recognized as Tyr, bid them a ‘good morning’, offering a polite smile to Loki, who did his best to return it. He vaguely noticed Thor started a conversation with their elder but didn't listen to a word of it.

Because it was at that moment Loki broke his resolution and looked at the royal table. 

He sought Frigga’s figure first. Despite everything, he still loved her more dearly than almost anyone else in their Universe. The only exception currently devouring some kind of bread right next to him.

Frigga was as regal as he remembered her, perhaps even more so, from this new commoner perspective. But more importantly, she was alive.

Loki’s well-trained eyes also noticed she looked preoccupied as she glanced oh-so subtly in her ‘sons’ direction.

His younger counterpart was openly frowning at his plate as younger Thor talked his ears off about something. 

Loki could only imagine how he felt. After all, he had spent most of his life chasing after Thor’s love and attention. Finally getting it must have been the strangest and the most exhilarating experience while losing it...

As though he could read Loki’s mind, his Thor put a hand on his nape, successfully bringing him back to the present. Forcing a slight smirk on his lips, Loki brought one of his own hands to Thor’s face.

“Someone is moping.”, he stated.

And Thor was startled as Loki’s voice resonated in his mind as clear as if he had talked out loud before the sense of his words hit him and his guilt and sadness took over.

“Don’t.”, Loki chided.

Thor grimaced before...

“Wait. Why did you not -”, he said as a familiar frown appeared on his face: it was his trademark ‘You played me again! How dare you?!’ expression. 

Loki rolled his eyes.

“Why do you think? I was obviously dying to see you naked.”, Loki answered, mind-voice filled with sarcasm, before he admitted: “My seidr was weak. It still is.”

This gave Thor a pause and his annoyance slowly morphed into something akin to worry.

“Do you -”, he started. 

“In your mind.”, Loki interrupted him. 

Thor pout. Pushing a particular thought towards another mind wasn’t as easy as it sounded and he wasn’t trained in this kind of art in the way Loki had been.

“Should we seek a healer?”, Thor asked - or rather, loudly exclaimed in his mind.

“Nonsense. They would know nothing of the Stones’ aftereffects.”, Loki replied, grinding his teeth.

He went to take his hand back and break the connection when Thor brought one of his own on top of it, effectively stopping him.

“Loki.”, he said, his volume slightly more controlled. “I cannot lose you again.”

And they said Loki was a drama queen, the younger god thought, his throat closing and his eyes burning. 

He looked away briefly and then smirked at Thor:

“Too bad, I’m very much planning our divorce.”, Loki deadpanned in their minds.

Thor’s mouth twitched, betraying his amusement.

“What did we have to be married anyway?”, Loki lamented. “It’s not like I was lacking experience in the fake brother department.”

“I told them my brother was dead.”, Thor said.

“And so was your husband apparently.”

Thor sighed out loud.

“I just - I thought it’ll be a good way to put an end to younger you’s crush?”, he tried.

It was Loki’s turn to sigh dramatically.

“Norns, you are an idiot.”, he said for all to hear, breaking their connection to focus on his untouched meal.

“But I’m your idiot.”, Thor answered without missing a bit, a particularly big and stupid smile stretching his lips.

Loki hid his own by chewing a piece of fruit.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again to the amazing Ladylapislazuli.
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome.
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


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